Pune: Rainwater harvesting systems in as many as 52 schools under Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) have been neglected amid water scarcity across the city, claim activists.They said such a condition of these systems undermined the efforts to promote groundwater recharge at a time when the city has been facing a water shortage.The systems were installed over the past few years by the Environment Conservation Association (ECA) under a corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative. After a two-year maintenance period, the responsibility for upkeep was handed over to the respective schools.
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A recent assessment by the NGO found that most of these installations have become non-functional because of inadequate maintenance.“The organisation has repeatedly written to PCMC’s education and environment departments, assistant commissioners, and other civic officials over the past year, seeking restoration of these systems. There was, however, no action taken,” Anil Doddamani of the ECA said.“The project was conceived for groundwater recharge while creating awareness among students about sustainable water management. The systems were formally handed over to the schools for maintenance, but that responsibility has largely been ignored,” he said.Some activists said the civic administration’s inaction was particularly concerning, as Pimpri Chinchwad has been grappling with water scarcity, with residents currently receiving water supply on alternate days.“Everyone, including civic officials and the mayor, had agreed that the maintenance work should be taken up as the expenditure was capped at around Rs 4-5 lakh. Despite that, nothing has moved on the ground,” an activist said.The ECA also claimed that repeated attempts to meet the municipal commissioner to highlight the issue had not been successful. “The systems were installed to safeguard future water resources. It was disappointing that such an important initiative has been allowed to deteriorate due to neglect,” an ECA representative said.Sangita Bangar, PCMC education officer, said all concerned schools were directed to submit their proposals for repair and maintenance of the rainwater harvesting systems to respective ward offices so that the work could be taken up. “I have also asked the schools to submit compliance reports. Once we receive them, we would know how many systems have been repaired and made operational again,” she said.
